Another long wait-SORRY! But this is the longest chapter so far, ack. Also I realized that I actually do suck at grammar, so now I have two beta reader! Lorien Moore proof reads my How Close Is Close Enough? fic and Hakumei Mikomi proof reads……THIS ONE!

So yah, any grammar mistakes? Blame them on her! Haha! Wait no, just kidding-just kidding XD More thanks-yous at the bottom…

And I just found out a few days ago that by calling Sora a 'brunnette' I'm actually calling him a girl o.O So being the authoress I am-with my duty to my readers- I actually went back through all the chapters and changed them all to 'brunet.' And while I was at it, I noticed that ffnet ATE SO MANY OF MY SPACES so I had to fix that too, and then for some reason I got mad so I changed the language so that people cursed more often enough to make the rating to M. Yesh, this fic is now M for language, violence (um, no not really….), drugs/alcohol (wait-what?), and the inevitable yaoi fluff (okay, that made sense).

Discalimer: I own nothing, except the stuff below……you guys are awesome.

Claimer: I own….a FUZZY chocobo plushie from Ariaana, a Sora plushie from Adhar, an akuroku 'buttsecks?' plushie from Hakumei Mikomi (thanks again for beta-ing!), a water-proof Demyx plushie from Revelation, and a lucky alien keychain from black vapor that helped me pass my exams XD

Fist Fights vs Verbal Fights

xXxXx

"Those shoes look soooooo cute!" exclaimed a girl sitting next to Kairi.

"Thanks!" Replied the redhead.

The two girls were sitting outside on the school's front lawn. Apparently their school thought that no student in their right mind would run away if the school allowed them to eat outside. And of course everyone took advantage of the fresh air rather than the cafeteria. After all that class work inside, it was a nice change to see your friends again. Unfortunately it wasn't the same for Sora.

"I got these boots for half price, can you believe it?" exclaimed Kairi, showing off her pink boots with matching laces.

"Where did you get them?"

Yes, Sora was there. Not in the conversation-but still there. Sitting on the other side of Kairi and in front of Yuffie. It might also be important to mention that he was the only boy there.

"That shop that just opened in the Traverse Mall." Shared Kairi.

"But that place is expensive!" Exclaimed the girl whose name Sora hadn't even learned yet.

"Yeah! I got these white boots there and it cost my entire month's pay!" Added Yuffie, pointing to her own feet.

Well, her leg actually. Her boot went all the way up to her knees and it was a wonder she could walk –nevertheless run- in them. The dress code must have been lenient with the student's footwear.

And of course Sora couldn't care less. The brunet really didn't want to be there. A minute ago the girls were talking about make-up and shades of eyeliner. And now shoes! It was no longer a wonder why Roxas never spoke about his uh…friends.

"Hey, are those new shoes Roxas?" asked the girl next to Kairi.

Oh right, still Roxas. Still undercover. Well he had been completely silent and bored throughout the whole conversation so there was no reason for suspicion to rise now. And even if the girl had figured out something of his identity, he could always brush her off and it would add to his Roxas image. But still, there was something about her that made Sora keep his guard up.

"Um….." the brunet looked down at his huge-yellow-shoe-clad feet. Oops. Despite Roxas lending him all of his uniform, his older brother had refused to trade his converses for Sora's gigantic clown shoes. It wasn't his fault he had weird tastes…

"He lost a bet," Kairi chimed in quickly. He probably should have been insulted by that, but he was more grateful for the save…….he liked his shoes dammit.

"Yeah, with uh….Sora," he added. It was really weird talking about himself like that-and he must have made a face when he said it because he could see Kairi change the subject ever so quickly.

"So, what are you guys doing this Saturday?"

With the attention no longer focused on him, Sora went back to eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And occasionally glancing at that girl who had now moved beside Yuffie. She was talking excitedly with the other girls (Sora was surrounded…) and every time she laughed the tips of her brown hair would bounce against her shoulders. Actually, she had her hair curled at the bottom on each side and Sora couldn't help but think she looked like one of those cartoons from the oldies.

Her gaze eventually crossed Sora's again. He got a good glimpse of green before he quickly looked away, not because Sora liked her or anything. He just…didn't want to take any chances, that's all.

The bell that signaled the end of lunch rang. Saved by the bell, thank god. All the girls around him had already packed up and started to leave. Including that one girl that gave him a shy look beneath her brown bangs before getting up.

"You girls go on ahead, I'll catch up later," said Kairi.

As Sora pulled his backpack on everyone else had already left but her. He approached the redhead with a frown on his face. "Why didn't you go with them? I could have followed behind you guys."

"True." Kairi clasped her hand behind her and tilted her head. Sora was starting to learn that it usually meant she knew something that he didn't. Naturally he had been seeing a lot of that pose lately.

"But I wanted to ask you something first," the smile grew mischievous.

"Uh, okay. What?"

Sora was getting a bit uneasy. Kairi stopped looking at him and turned away. When she didn't speak he followed where her gaze was. It was right on the group of girls that they were eating lunch with earlier…..right on….her.

When Kairi noticed that the brunet's eyes had widen she giggled.

"You were staring at her the whole time." she stated, then faced Sora and asked innocently.

"Do you like her?"

Sora blushed. "NO!"

Kairi giggled again. He knew he must have sounded like he was lying-but he wasn't! Honest! Sora was just a bit curious about that girl, she looked really familiar. And he wasn't sure, but he swore he saw her somewhere before…

The redhead crossed her arms in front of her, giving herself an apprehending image. She looked Sora square in the eye seriously as she spoke.

"Good."

The brunet was slightly confused. "Good?"

"Yes, because she already has a boyfriend."

The senior looked over the side where all her girlfriends (that's friends that are girls for those of you who just puked on your computer….) were starting to head in. The girl that Sora had been slyly staring at was near the back of the group-almost as if she was waiting for someone. A minute later a dirty blond teen appeared by her side, wrapping a tanned arm around her waist as the two started to walk slower, discreetly dislodging themselves from the group ahead.

But Sora hadn't followed Kairi's gaze this time and he missed the couple. He also missed the look of jealousy-frustration?-longing? Something totally unlike Kairi? That flashed in her eyes for a brief second. And when she turned around at the sound of his voice, it was gone.

"What's her name?" asked Sora, still completely oblivious to everything.

"Selphie. Why, do you still like her?" giggled Kairi.

She knew Sora really didn't because he never did any of that funny stuff that guys did around girls they liked. But for some reason talking to Sora always cheered her up. And after seeing Selphie with her boyfriend…..well let's just say it was really annoying watching all her friends hook up, and here she was still single. Sheesh, that's what she got for hanging out with Roxas all the time.

Sora blushed furiously again. "No! I already said I didn't!"

The redhead could help but start laughing at the boy's state. Yeah, Sora was a lot different than his brother. For one, she could actually talk to him.

"Then why did you ask?" pried Kairi, with slight curiosity.

"Because, uh…." Sora started looking uncomfortable, and Kairi's suspicion started to rise again until.

"Did Selphie live on an island?"

Kairi blinked. Completely forgetting about her bad mood.

"Um, yeah. I think she mentioned that before."

The brunet's eyes widen. "Then I know her! She used to live at Destiny Islands with me and Roxas! We went to school together, Paupu Elementary or something. And she used to hang out with us all the time even though she was a girl. I had no idea she moved here too and…"

Another thing that was unlike Roxas, the redhead noticed, was Sora's way of constantly talking to himself. But she found it cute, and a nice change from Roxas' lack of talking at all.

Although Sora was thrilled at first to find another friend at Roxas' school, realization soon hit him. "Wait….why didn't she recognize me?"

Kairi was a bit reluctant to explain to Sora that Roxas didn't exactly keep in touch with friends. Kairi had to force herself into his life, and sometimes she thought it still wasn't good enough. It was very unlikely that Selphie would remember either of them at this point.

"But he could have told me that people from our hometown-erm homeisland were here!" cried Sora. Maybe his other childhood friends were here too? Then he could stop hanging out with all these girls!

Kairi bit her lip. Even though Sora was his brother, it seemed like she knew Roxas better than he did.

"Wait." Said Sora again, this time a bit happier. "Selphie kept giving me these weird looks during lunch, maybe she does remember me!"

Kairi remained silent, but when Sora faced her, Kairi looked like she was trying to suppress a smile. And oh, there goes the pose again. Any minute now Kairi was going to tell him something he didn't know and probably didn't want to know.

"That's because she likes Roxas."

Sora's jaw dropped.

xXxXx

When the two had finally exited the school and joined the group on the ground, Larxene immediately knew something was up. Axel sat down first, in the empty spot allotted for him next to Demyx. He looked a bit guilty and only half-heartedly replied and when the dirty blond greeted him, his own reply lacked the usual enthusiasm.

Roxas on the other hand found a tree nearest to the group and leaned against it before sitting down. He made sure not to make eye contact with Axel and as he sat, his arms were crossed and he seemed to ignore the group, not making a single sound.

So either Axel had done something incredibly stupid like making a pass at the blond, or Axel ……..wait no that's probably what he did.

Larxene gave everyone in the group a quick scan, noting that no one else had noticed. Demyx was staring at Axel as he talked, Marluxia was staring at some flowers, Roxas was staring at anywhere but Axel, and said redhead was staring at….oh in her direction!

The only girl there quickly made eye contact with the pyro and narrowed her blonde eyebrows in an I-know-something's-up-and-I-know-it's-your-fault kind of condescending way.

The redhead seemed to shrink back from the gaze and subtly mouthed 'I didn't mean to' when Demyx turned around to find a spoon for his soup. Yes, they were eating lunch now. And what a peaceful, quiet lunch it was.

Thanks to Axel's indirect confession Larxene found it as her responsibility again to clear up the godforsaken tension. In the most sophisticated way she could think of.

"Hey Rox, what do you think a moomba is?"

Roxas stared at Larxene like the girl had grown two heads while pulling out her knife collection and had politely asked if she could use his chest as a dart board.

"What?" he asked in confusion disbelief.

"Oh yeah, Roxy should know what it is!" exclaimed Demyx with a mouth full of soup. The boy refused to eat anything that wasn't a liquid.

The blond still had no idea why Larxene had asked him such a stupid question. Nor did he know why he was eating lunch with a group of people like them. The nickname Demyx had given him bothered him to no end, the tomboy in front of him looked like she would beat him up if he didn't answer her question, and from the corner of his eye he saw Axel looking at him again.

Oh great…

"Uh, I think it's like…a mythical creature…or something." He lied. Roxas had no idea in hell what the heck a moomba was.

Demyx frowned. "Wait, than that means it's not an animal!"

As the whole group started to discuss about the controversial topic of what a moomba really was, Roxas effortlessly isolated himself from it. He really didn't want to be here. Part of him just wanted to storm out of the group and tell them that he thought they were idiots and wasting his time and that they should just get back to class, and the other part just wanted to take it all out on Axel.

He still didn't know why he was so mad at him either. Maybe it was because the redhead had talked about his brother like he actually knew them-which he didn't. He knew nothing about their lives.

Axel suddenly paused in his conversation with Demyx. The musician flashed a confused look that Axel missed because he wasn't looking at him. (Now that he couldn't stare at Roxas anymore-the pyro wasn't exactly sure where to put his eyes.) But as his gaze wandered, it finally landed on Marluxia, who at the moment was going to cause some trouble.

The pink haired boy was holding a white carton in his gloved hand. He flipped the top open with a push of his thumb and tilted the box until a cigarette came out.

Larxene caught the panicked look from Axel. It wasn't unusual for the group to skip school for a smoke every once and a while. And it was a surprise that Sora had never protested about it either. The kid even puffed himself, it wasn't that big of a deal. So the blonde found it touching how Axel was starting to care about the new kid so much.

"Mar, do you have to take a drag now?" she intervened.

It wasn't a surprise when the teen shot her a confused look. The day Larxene refused a smoke would be the day hell froze over. Or maybe the day Axel finally found a conscience.

A brown eyebrow that hadn't been dyed to match his pink hair rose. In a defensive tone that bordered on annoyance, Marluxia explained himself-although he wasn't sure why he had to in the first place.

"Yes, after that godforsaken exam, I do believe I deserve one."

And maybe if Axel had said something there or…..well. Never mind, there was no use now. Marluxia had already passed the box onto Demyx and now the musician was gleefully taking a cigarette out. Across from him Larxene looked like she had given up, her heart wasn't really into it in the first place and she probably needed one too.

He was almost afraid to turn around, but when he glanced at Roxas, the blond was fuming. Not to mention glaring at-Axel? Wait, why was he glaring at him? It wasn't like it was his fault! Marluxia was the one that brought the cigarettes, not him! And besides, Roxas couldn't have been that much of a prick to have never smoked before. Unless he was concerned about his darling brother again.

"Axel, can I use your lighter?" The redhead turned at the sound of his name.

Larxene was holding the box now and taking one out, and Marluxia-who had spoken- was now looking at him expectantly. As he dug into his back pocket, Axel figured it could have been worse. After all, Marluxia wasn't just obsessed with flowers, he loved all plants-and that included weed. He was just lucky the guy had brought a standard pack this time.

After he threw Marluxia his lighter, Larxene threw him the pack. He took one out, and without thinking he set the box down next to him. There was no way he was going to offer Roxas one, the redhead was almost angered that the group put him in that position.

"Aren't you going to ask Rox if he wants one Axel?" asked Demyx innocently, next to him.

Shit. There were times when he really wished Demyx wasn't involved. Of course he could never be really mad at the blond. And without turning around to face Roxas he extended his hand while holding the pack.

"You don't…." he started. But then quickly ended it. What the hell was he supposed to say?

Axel looked up and met Roxas' glare full on. Ouch. He didn't look too happy. Okay quick, what to say? What is there to say? Well, anything that would get him to stop looking at Axel like he wanted to tear his head off. (This also might be a bad time to say the blond looked really cute when he was angry.) Ah, of course! Bring Sora into the conversation….but first deny everything else.

"We, actually don't smoke all that much." Tried Axel again.

And by 'much' he meant less than once a day of course. And maybe Roxas could tell because his death glare hadn't decreased a bit and he had yet to say anything to Axel.

"And Sora never smokes either." He added.

From the corner of his eye he saw Demyx open his mouth, thinking quickly he quickly elbowed the musician in the ribs to silence him and prevent him from further damaging the situation.

"Stop lying."

Axel swore he heard Roxas growl. The blond crossed his arms and looked away from the group. He leaned against the tree behind him and tried to ignore Axel's gaze mostly.

There was a silence that followed as Axel got his lighter back.

But when the redhead lit his on fire and smoke filled the air, Roxas turned around again. Axel figured the blond was going to say something long the lines of, it's bad for your health. Or, let's get back to school and have fun studying! So his next comment caught him completely by off guard.

"Give me one."

If Roxas hadn't been staring at him dead on with a serious look on his face, Axel probably would have thought he was joking. He hesitantly grabbed the pack and handed it to Roxas.

"You don't have to you know. There's nothing for you to prove and if this is your first time it co-"

Axel immediately stopped his explanation-yes he was concerned for the kid. Just imagine what Sora would do to him if he told the kid his brother died from choking on smoke and it was Axel's fault- when Roxas grabbed the lighter from him as well.

The redhead was about to offer to get a light for him, after all-lighters were tricky. He once spent nine minutes watching Demyx try to get a spark. Which was why it was a surprise that Roxas had gotten one with his first try.

He didn't even flinch-which was what Demyx did and then dropped it and almost caught the school on fire for a second time.-But that probably meant nothing, right? They probably taught kids how to use a lighter in science class and stuff. And Roxas seemed like the type of person to be in some science club, right?

Axel merely watched as Roxas brought the lit cigarette towards his mouth and puffed. No choking, or wheezing or anything. The blond looked absolutely fine and natural as if he had done this before-many times before. Axel smirked, his suspicions cleared up.

Here he was-just minutes before thinking how awful and guilty he was for getting Sora to smoke. And now it turned out Roxas was an avid smoker. Or maybe the kid was just really good at bluffing? Nah, no one could be that good. Maybe they could get along now after all?

"Hey Rox, you never told me you smoked before!" started Demyx. "When Sora first started he was coughing all over the place, it was pretty funny actually."

Axel mentally kicked himself for forgetting about Demyx. Roxas, who was still ignoring everyone suddenly, faced Axel again. His death glare back on tenfold. So much for being friends…

xXxXx

Sora had finally caught up with Kairi in the hallway. The two were walking pretty quickly to class as they were the last to leave, and the brunet was having a hard time avoiding people. He wasn't about to lose sight of his guide again, especially not after last time.

"Wait, slow down! What do you mean Selph likes Roxas?" he whispered quietly, but impatiently all the same.

The redhead turned around with a teasing grin that could almost be classified as a sort of Kairi-smirk.

"Exactly what I meant. Of course Roxas would never know because he's always ignoring her. But then again Selphie hasn't told me directly either. But I could tell and…"

Sora was still confused, and it seemed like Kairi wasn't telling him everything.

"But she has a boyfriend! You said so!" he exclaimed.

"So?" asked Kairi innocently, facing him completely now.

The redhead had actually stopped walking now, even though they were only inches from their next class. She would later explain to him that Mr. Vincent was a strange teacher that didn't believe in attendance or sunlight, so coming in late was okay. But right now Kairi looked completely serious, hands on her hips, tilted head-the look and all.

"Sora, if you haven't noticed, a lot of girls like your brother."

And of course this was shocking news to the brunet. Roxas-his own brother? A girl magnet? And yet no girlfriend? Where was this world coming to? But that would explain why all those girls were trying to hang out with him and all…

"And naturally Roxas just ignores all of them anyway so it was basically a lost cause an-" Kairi continued, not choosing to react to Sora's stunned state.

"What about you?" he interrupted.

Kairi stopped and stared at him. "What?"

"Do you like Roxas?" Sora hadn't asked it in the teasing manner Kairi had used at lunch, but out of pure curiosity. "You did say a lot of girls…"

"No!" exclaimed Kairi, blushing. That was probably the first time Sora saw the redhead not under control and embarrassed.

"Roxas is like…is like my best friend! I don't like him in any other way, seriously."

The brunet laughed. Even though the tone in his companion's voice was dead serious, he couldn't help but noticed that she was flustering over her words all the same. And she wouldn't make eye contact with him as she spoke. Maybe it would be fun to pester her a bit more?

"Oh really?" commented Sora, crossing his arms and leaning forward so that their faces were only a few inches apart-forcing her to look at him. Kairi had stopped talking now but her blush was still there.

"Then why are ya still blushing Kairi?" he joked. The redhead opened her mouth to jump to her defenses, but Sora had already moved back and brushed past her towards the classroom.

"Just kidding Kai, it's a good thing you don't like Roxas. You're way too nice for him."

Sora' back was turned so he was unable to see the blush spread as the redhead hid her smile. This twin was definitely a nice change. Kairi moved forward as well to follow Sora into the classroom, and maybe think of something informative about English class she could say to cover up that moment. But a better distraction presented itself.

"Yo Roxas!"

Hands on the doorknob and head facing the classroom, Sora still hadn't gotten used to be called by his brother's name. So he turned the knob and was about to enter when a hand grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and threw him back.

"Hey! I'm talking to you here Roxas!"

Sora faced his attacker with wide eyes. Why was this always happening to him? The boy was wearing a beanie, but the strands of hair sticking out were blond. There was also a scar running down along the side of his forehead across is face. Yup, this was what he called a bully at his school. Plenty of them there.

"Seifer leave him alone!" yelled Kairi, immediately standing next to them. Was it safe for a girl like her to be here?

"Shut up Kairi." Narrowed blue eyes looked into Sora's and the tone of voice used on him was mocking.

"What? Are you gonna let your girlfriend stand up for you again?"

Okay, this was the point in time that Sora stopped talking to think. This situation was slightly better than the last. For one, he had actually recognized this person as not being Roxas' friend. Yes, this accomplishment made him happy.

He was also not alone this time, Kairi was here to run for help if he suddenly died…or something. And thanks to her he now knew the bully's name, and the guy didn't seem like he would figure his identity out anytime soon. The disadvantage however, was that this Seifer person actually looked like he wanted to hurt him. And why the hell did he call Kairi his brother's girlfriend, and why was she blushing again?

AND WHAT DID SEIFER MEAN BY AGAIN?

Did his brother seriously let girls stand up for him?

The blond reached his hand out and knocked every book in Sora's grasp across the hall. Because throwing books around in a magnet school was very bad ass.

Sora stared at the smirking teen. Not exactly sure what to make of it. At his school, this was usually the sign of a start of a fight, but Seifer was looking like he had already won it. Surely people here knew how to fight right?

With his mind settled on finding out, he crossed his arms and gave Seifer the fiercest look he could muster. Of course this only served to confuse the teen because it was very hard for Sora to look tough.

"What's your problem?" asked the brunet, an eyebrow raised. This might have been a bit more intimidating if he didn't have to look up to Seifer.

Sora saw the teen blink a few times. Not believing that Roxas was actually standing up for himself, against him! Seifer was going to straighten this boy out if it was the last thing he did. The blond opened his mouth to say something nasty and probably scare the guy away from a fight, but Sora beat him to it.

"What, you wanna fight?" Sora's gaze never wavered and he sounded pretty serious.

This just confused Seifer even more, this wasn't Roxas. Who was this kid? Oh, well not that he cared. The senior's smirk grew wider. If it's a fight he wants, then a fight he gets. It had been a really long time since a kid had stayed and threw a few punches with him, ah the good old days.

"Now you're talking Roxy. And you better not call on your girl to help you when you loose a few teeth."

Sora felt Kairi's hand on his shoulder. Did she always have to interfere?

"This is dangerous Sora! Seifer's a really good fighter." The brunet was touched by the deep concern in her voice, but there was no way he could back out now.

"Yeah, a good fighter at a magnet school. I'm an average fighter at a real school, and I bet I could still knock him out twice." Sora whispered back. Kairi seemed a bit offended by the magnet school comment, but hey-it was the truth.

She still looked worried and was about to say something when Seifer spoke first. The teen was not about to let some girl take away his first fight in a long time.

"Don't listen to your girlfriend. You gonna fight or not Roxas?"

The brunet stared at Seifer. "I was waiting for you to make the first move." He shot back.

Seifer just laughed in return. "Fine, but don't blame me if she gets hurt," he inclined his head towards Kairi, "just so long as she doesn't get in the way."

Oh, so Seifer was one of those guys that weren't afraid to hit girls? He quickly pushed Kairi away with an 'I'll be fine now leave me alone dammit!' kind of comment (but not in those words exactly). And right after he did, a flash of white appeared by his side.

Sora barely had any time to react, lest jump out of the way as Seifer aimed a punch towards him but missed. The brunet had already moved out of the way by a long shot.

When he told Kairi he was an average fighter at his old school, he had been lying. Even against Axel's chakrams (which the redhead had stolen once from a thrift store) Sora could beat anyone in a fight. His agility, reaction speed, and the ridiculous air he could get when he jumped were unmatched.

So when Seifer turned away from the lockers, he spotted the brunet a few feet away charging at him. There was so much distance it was easy for the senior to dodge the punch. As Sora's fist brushed against his shoulder, Seifer quickly turned sideways and brought his knee up, where Sora's stomach would have been.

It was a second too late for Seifer to realize that it was exactly what Sora had planned all along. The brunet jumped to the side a good deal away to avoid Seifer's knee in advance. And as the senior's leg was still in the air, Sora made good use of Seifer's balance by kicking him in the chest before he could put it down and move out of the way.

What Sora hadn't planned was for Seifer to take the kick full on his chest without attempting to block it. Instead the blond had grabbed his leg in the process and brought Sora down with him. Before he landed, the brunet was thrown across the hall, he remembered feeling his shoulder connect with the floor first, and the sharp sting of a locker edge behind his back.

Wasting no time, he looked up again to find that Seifer was already up and heading back towards him again. One of the blond's hands was against his chest where Sora had kicked him, but other than that-it seemed like Sora's attack did very little to effect him.

Since his back was against a locker, the brunet would have no room to dodge Seifer's next attack unless he moved. His only choices were to either move forward or back up, the latter being the easiest since Seifer was coming at his side and if he could just get back on his knees and push off he could still get some distance between the two without taking his gaze off the blond.

And that was exactly what he was about to do until a familiar flash of silver caught his eye.

In the next second, the senior that was charging at him with a fist in the air was pulled back. The person holding Seifer back would have to be incredibly strong since the blond looked ready to murder right now. But Riku was holding him roughly on the shoulders an arm's length away-without even struggling.

Sora was unable to see the look on Riku's face since he was looking at the blond, but he could guess he must have been angry by the tone of his voice.

"How many times have I told you? No. Fighting. In. The. Hallway. Seifer."

Seifer seemed to be growling as Riku let go of him, pushing against his shoulders roughly to make sure the blond knew he was serious. Sora had sat up by now, leaning against the locker behind him and watching the scene unfold.

Riku had yet to look at him, instead he turned around and confronted Kairi.

"What the fuck happened here?"

The redhead was fuming again as she usually did when the silver haired boy was around.

"Nothing! Seifer was just trying to pick a fight with So-Roxas and he accepted." Then to spite him, she added "Roxas totally had it under control until you came."

"NOTHING? That didn't look like nothing to me! And for your information, that idiot would have gotten his ass kicked if I hadn't showed up!" Yelled Riku.

All the brunet could do was stare at them.

This was the first time Sora had seen the two in the same place….and now he was starting to understand why. Those two just wouldn't stop shouting at each other! He found it quite amusing really. But from the corner of his eye Sora noticed Seifer looking at him, a bit suspiciously.

With a glance at Riku to make sure his attention was no longer on Seifer, the blond suddenly started to rush at Sora. Was this guy crazy? The fight was over! Sora quickly realized that he had to move and fast, but before he did he tried to catch Riku's eye again.

And it was only because he was looking at the silver haired boy's direction that Sora caught it. A leg extended and kicked Seifer in the stomach-as if Riku had predicted the move-at lightening speed. The blond had no warning or reaction time, even Kairi stopped mid-shout in the argument. Seifer ended up on the ground again and Riku glared at him.

"I SAID NO FIGHTING IN THE HALLWAYS!"

Seifer glared back from his spot on the floor. "Then what the hell was that for!"

Riku ignored him and went back to his 'conversation' with Kairi. The redhead had her hands on her hip and a look that could make little boys cower in fear.

"You're such a hypocrite! Telling someone not to fight and then beating them up like that!"

"Oh shut up Kairi! If I wasn't part of the Student Government I wouldn't have even given a damn if either of them died!"

"Ha! I bet your fans were drunk when they voted for a leader like you!"

Now that neither of them were paying any attention to Seifer again, Sora was slightly worried that the senior would try to attack him again. And true to his thoughts, the blond that was now sitting up straight across the hall from him was glaring at him.

When he caught Sora's eye, Seifer held out both hands in front of him. One of them was curled into a fist and he began making gestures that made it clear he still wanted to beat the crap out of Sora.

Riku suddenly whipped around again after telling Kairi to go jump off a cliff and shouted at Seifer.

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"

The blond immediately stopped his silent death threats, and Sora wondered if Riku had eyes behind his head or something.

"What-are you standing up for Roxas now Riku?" replied Kairi in angry tone. It was very different for Sora to see her this way. The redhead had been nothing but nice to him ever since he met her.

"I'm not standing up for anybody!" Exclaimed Riku, and then in a hushed tone so only Kairi could hear. "Especially not Roxas."

Riku smirked when he saw her eyes slightly widen. It was probably natural that something was going on that he didn't know. And he probably wasn't supposed to know it either, so rubbing it in the redhead's face was going to be pleasurable.

Of course he didn't want Seifer to know either…

"Seifer!" The blond jumped a bit from his spot on the ground and faced Riku.

"What? You better not be thinking about giving me detention pretty-boy. Roxas was the one that started the fight!"

The silver haired boy turned around as well, but his back was still towards Sora. " Leon's doing a presentation on The Effect of the New Security System on the Hallow Bastion's Restoration Program in room 121, it's starting in four minutes. I'll give you a hall pass for it if you leave and don't mention the fight."

Sora blinked and watched as Riku handed the senior a pass from his pocket. Was Riku helping him? Well he did kind of save him from a fight, and now maybe he was trying to help him stay out of trouble by silencing Seifer. Now that Sora thought about it, he was a much better helper than Kairi.

"Stop trying to bribe your way into things Riku! Roxas and I don't need your help!"

Sora sighed, yeah way better.

"Stop calling him Roxas! I already know it's not him!" retorted the teen angrily.

"What are you talking about! Of course it's Roxas! Who else could it-" Kairi sounded equally as mad, but with a hint of nervousness in her voice. The redhead flashed him a glance with a look that said what did you tell him?

Shit. He had been so distracted by the mob of girls everywhere that he forgot to tell Kairi that Riku knew about it. Not good! How was Kairi going to react when she found out it was him that told Riku- not that he really had a choice anyway…

"Oh come on! I'd have to be blind, sick, and deaf not to see the difference!"

Riku suddenly pointed a finger at him, stopping Sora's train of thought. "There's no way that idiot can be Roxas! As if I need him to tell me who he really is, I figured it out all by myself!"

Sora's jaw fell as Riku's words hit him. The teen was making it sound like he just figured out Sora's identity now. Like the conversation between the two never happened. Was he covering up for him? Well it seemed to have worked because Kairi looked a bit more relieved.

Wait a minute…..did Riku just call him an idiot? Sora pouted.

"That isn't Roxas!" cried Riku.

"Yes he is!" countered Kairi.

"No he's not!"

"YES HE IS!"

"NO HE'S NOT!"

Their voiced were getting pretty loud and Sora was surprised that none of the teachers had come out of the classroom to silence them yet. And maybe if Sora wasn't the cause of the argument, he might have found it pretty funny. Here was a girl and a guy with girly hair fighting over him….well not really but you get the point.

"Riku I think you've gone insane!" replied Kairi, a bit more confidence in her voice.

"Yeah, well I think I don't have time for this. Get to class, the both of you!"

And with that the silver haired boy walked away. Throughout the whole conversation he had never once looked or spoke to Sora. Not that there was really a reason to anyway. Besides, what could Sora say? He was still supposed to pretend he was Roxas and they were enemies….and…..well. He wasn't sure why but he was really hoping he would be able to talk to Riku again.

Kairi was suddenly in front of him with a hand stretched out. Her voice sounded exhausted and annoyed-though not at him, "Come on Sora, let's go."

He took it and allowed her to pull him into class late. The teacher hadn't minded much and the two took their 'usual' seats near the window. Kairi continued on like the run-in had never happened, and Sora was just glad that this was his last class for the day.

xXxXx

Larxene had told him to talk to the kid. He tried that, and Roxas had just glared back.

So Larxene told him to talk to the kid-alone. He couldn't because they weren't alone!

So Larxene had told him to shut up, and then she somehow set up a scenario where he was.

Axel sighed. Larxene could do the impossible sometimes, in the simplest ways. Demyx had left the group ten minutes ago to go find that damn Zexion. Afterwards, Larxene had stolen Marluxia's lunch and ran off with it. Yeah, that sounded really dumb and childish but it got the job done. Because now that left him and Roxas on the ground watching the two chase each other around the school's back lawn.

The blond stood up and stared until he saw the last of Marluxia's cloak disappear behind the school's side wall.

"Shouldn't we help them, or something?" he asked uninterestedly. No doubt with intentions of getting away from Axel.

"Nah, Marly can handle himself." Said Axel, standing up as well and leaning against a tree across from Roxas.

There was a moment of silence between the two as Larxene ran back towards them and Marluxia followed suit yelling a string of curses every step. Afterwards it was just pure silence between the two. Well, it was now or never…

Axel cleared his throat to get Roxas' attention.

The blond continued staring at anywhere but Axel.

So he tried again, "Um, Roxas?"

Another moment of silence, then an annoyed "What?"

Axel shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Sorry."

The word caught Roxas off guard. He turned around and fixed Axel with puzzled blue eyes. But his voice didn't sound any less harsh. "Excuse me?"

The pyro had no idea why he was still putting up with this. Had Roxas been any other kid he would have beaten the crap out of him already for that attitude. Seriously, it wasn't like Axel had done anything bad to the kid that day. In fact, compared to other days- Axel had been on his best behavior yet! Well, sort of.

"I said I was sorry." Repeated Axel.

Of course he probably didn't sound very sorry. He wasn't even sure what he was apologizing for, but if it got Roxas to stop shooting daggers at him then it was worth a try.

"For what?" asked the blond. And if Axel listened really hard, he could hear the curiosity in Roxas' voice overcome the brashness.

"For uh…being a….bad…influence…on your brother?" he tried. No seriously, what the hell was he apologizing for?

Roxas stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Whatever."

The reply made Axel frown. "Well, why else are you mad?"

"I'm not mad."

"Yes you are."

Silence. This was really starting to get to Axel. Usually the redhead would be talking nonstop. But Roxas seemed to have a weird silencing effect on him. Anything he said would always anger the blond and piss them both off, but on the other hand-Axel just couldn't deal with the silence. Time for a different approach.

"Wanna tell my why you don't like me?" asked Axel with a smile. At least one person could be in a good mood.

"Because you keep trying to get into my business." He shot back. Yes a lead!

"Well that's what friends d-"

"You're not my friend." He shot back. Ouch, that hurt.

"I'd like to be." Axel countered.

Whoa, wait. Where did that come from? The redhead didn't remember thinking about that before at all. Since when had he decided that he did want to be Roxas' friend? The kid was a total headache and a bundle of attitude. Plus they hadn't gotten along at all the entire day.

Roxas didn't say anything afterwards. Instead he looked away and his posture stiffened. Axel wasn't sure how much more of this silence-stuff he could take.

"You know, you can't keep ignoring me like that."

"Watch me."

Axel smirked. Kid, I've been watching you all day…….wait! No, bad! You're not supposed be checking people out when you're apologizing to them Axel! Okay, different strategy…If it's a fight Roxas wants, it's a fight Roxy gets!

"Do you ignore Sora too?" asked the redhead mockingly, he always seemed to get more of a reaction whenever Axel mentioned his brother.

"Of course not!" shot Roxas back defensively.

"Oh, is that why you know all about his school ditching and smoking escapades?" Yes, keep at it and you'll have the blond hating your guts in no time…But at least it'll keep him talking.

"It's not MY fault if he doesn't tell me!"

"Well maybe it's because you never told him you were a smoker as well."

That probably wasn't the best way to go about this. But at least Axel was winning the verbal battle this time. Roxas had visibly stiffened again and turned away. This was starting to annoy the pyro greatly.

"Why do you keep ignoring me?"

"Because you fucking piss me off!"

"Oh and does SORA piss you off too?" Axel angrily countered.

The redhead was starting to get pretty mad himself. Would someone please tell him what it was he did to make Roxas hate him so much? Shouldn't it be the other way around? The conversation was getting nowhere and it seemed like Roxas just ignored everyone equally. Everything about this kid was pissing him off.

"Stop trying to get into our business!"

"Friends make it their business when their FRIENDS need help!"

Furious, that's what Axel was-completely furious. All he wanted was to get Roxas to stop being so mad at him, but at this point it looked like doing the opposite was going to be much easier. Plus it might make Axel feel better if Roxas felt as terrible as he did right now.

"SORA DOESN'T NEED ANY HELP!"

"I WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU!"

"What the fuck are you talking about….?"

Axel sighed. Was it one of relief? Or one of exhaustion? Well, now he finally had Roxas' partially undivided attention. And maybe if he used it wisely he could explain to Roxas what a dickhead he was being. To Axel, and his brother. After all, Sora did asked him yesterday to try and get Roxas to open up to people a bit-he just never said how.

"You make it sound like you're the only person that understands Sora. Like you're the only one he can go to for help! Well that might be true for you because you might not have anyone to go to and talk to, but Sora has friends that understand him an-"

"You think you understand him?" Roxas had taken a few steps closer to Axel now. And although the two were only inches away it didn't stop them from shouting in each other's faces.

"You don't know anythingAxel!"

"Well I just want to fucking hel-"

"SHUT UP!" Roxas exploded.

Maybe Axel had gone too far. Maybe if Axel knew, maybe if he just knew what he had gotten himself into. That he had ventured too far into something that was greater than the both of them.

Something Roxas had struggled to keep to himself for years, and now when he was just starting to get the hang of it. Just starting to be able to cope with it, to get rid of any emotions associated with it-Axel decides to appear in his life and threaten to tear his defenses apart.

"JUST SHUT UP! You think you might know Sora and you might be able to help him but that's it! That's it! Don't start thinking you can UNDERSTAND me either! Because you don't know ANYTHING about me! Or my goddamn family! Or anything else for that matter!"

The redhead stayed silent the whole time, watching the boy in front of him continue to raise his voice, getting angrier and angrier by the minute. But all that rage only served to fuel Axel's as well. Somewhere along the lines, this conversation had made a turn for the worse.

"SO DON'T EVER TRY AND UNDERSTAND ME AND JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

And with that Roxas turned around and stormed away. It never crossed either of their minds that they still had an hour of school left, or that Roxas could get into serious trouble if he left school grounds.

It didn't matter at all. And all Axel could do was just stand there, watching Roxas leave. Because what more could he do? Anything he said just made it worse, any apology he tried was in vain. For the second time that day he realized something.

Well, two things actually. One, Roxas was an asshole and there was something seriously wrong with him-and there was no doubt in hell the kid was hiding something that Axel was bound to find out. And two, he had totally fucked things up… again. Except this time, it might be permanent.

xXxXx

Thanks again Hakumei Mikomi! For enduring my grammar-full emails and doing a great job of beta-ing. Oh, and if anyone wants to read a cute Zemyx? Go to her profile….now if only she would update it!

But everyone, do thank her for beta-ing it for me. And guess what? After writing chapter four, I TOOK MY FINAL EXAMS! Lol, it's ironic how I wrote Axel's part with no intention of me repeating it, but that's exactly what I did when I started. Luckily that means my summer classes are over, so that means more time to write. Hurrah!

Hmm, this chapter is very long, but for some reason I don't like it as much. Maybe it was because I was sick as I was writing it……..so my updating/replying will be pretty delayed as I will spend over half of everyday fast asleep and eating soup…mhhhh soup. XP But thank you all for reviewing!

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